The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-12-07
THE LAW DIVISION.
Attorney General Garland's
Annual Report.
A BIG FORGER ARRESTED.
Sailed for Europe Fatal ColIapso-A
Unique Deputy Big SUits-In
the Tolls at Last eneTaI.
Attoru ey-G eneraI's Report

- AIb1t " 5ACL a. . AhCPOGGs
WAsHINaroN, December 6.-The an
nuai report of Attorney-General Gar
lana gives 2 full account of the business
Of the department during the fiscal
year. The nun Der of ordinary suits
pending ia the Court of CLAIMS is l. 1f9,
involving the sum of $13 ,25O, eco. The
number of cases filed under the Bow
man act is 1879, involving about $780,
100000 The petitions filed in the
French spoliatlon cases number
$500, representing 2,486 vessels,
and about $30,000,0O0. During the
fiscal year, LII civil suits were
terminated, 922 judgments were
for defendants, 703 were dismissed, 26
were appealed to the Circuit Court, and
"A to the Supreme Court. During the
wear there were 3,907 criminal prose-
cutions, mostly for violations of
customs and Internal Revenue laws.
The Attorney General calls attention
to The suggestions and recommends
tons made in his last annual report in
regard to matters calling for remedial
legislation, and again urges the neces-
sity of Immediate action thereon.
These subjects are as follows: Fees of
marshals in the Territories; pay of
GaDuJ4 marshals; revision of the
lie bill. substitutions of fiscal for
csieuias y ar protection to civil officers
7au ~ st-ses, fees of witnesses and
j.rors. -rimnal procedure, perjury
81 l..l.e- ~ Tue District of Columbia.
Il 1egaru 10 the confinement and
treatment of United States prisoners,
the Attornsy-General says that he is
more than ever convinced of the abso-
lutte need of government penitentiary
and reformatory.
He also calls attention to the necessity
for additional legislation Tor restoring
and preserving court records, and
makes an urgent appeal in behalf of
certain changes in the Judicial system
appropriation for the erection, on
ground adjacent to the Depar tment of
Justice, of suitable building for the &C
commo0ation of the Supreme Court
and other courts and commissioners OF
the United States. He also asks that
Congress provide for furnishing por-
traits of judges of the Supreme Court
to adorn the chambers of that court.
Attention is also invited to the neces
sity Of extending the jurisdiction Of the
Federal courts to crimes committed
upon American vessels on the Great
Lakes. Congress is urged to take some
&C tiCn for the settlement of it.
The outstanding claims of witnesses
and Jurors for services during and prior
to the year 1885, the Attorney General
saws, increased the expenses in the
service OF process, and this has been the
experience of the department since the
passage of the Inter State Commerce
bill. Prior to the passage of that bill,
marshais were furnished with free
transportation over the various lines of
railways, while in the service of process.
Since that date, however, no free trans
portation is furnished, and the railways
charge mileage greater than the fees
allowed marshals for travel in such
service.
The AttoTney-Genera in closing his
report, devotes chapter to the consid-
Grafton of the French spoilation act. He
says: The difficulty of the questions
involved suggests the necessity of a
YigiIant and exhaustive judicial investi-
cation. 1, therefore, recommend the
passage of an act amending the act of
J anuary 80, 1885, which shall confer
authority upon the Court of Claims to
render Judgment in cases provided for
by the act, instead of reporting their
conclusions to Congress, as it is now
required to do, and to grant to either
party, government or claimant, the
right to appeal to the Supreme Court
of the United States. From the deci-
sion of the Court of Claims on suits
filed under the act OF 1885, it is not
probable that either the government or
the claimant will find it necessary to re-
sort to appeals in more than few
cases, but as the law stands now, no
appeal can be taken by either party.